EPIC

In June 2019, Aspen EPIC – an initiative of the Aspen Institute Financial Security Program – surveyed over 100 diverse experts on housing affordable and stability.

Fifty percent of students who enroll in a for-profit college default on their student loans, resulting in a population that is financially worse off than when they first enrolled and disproportionately impacts people of color.

Americans with student loan debt, past credit problems, or onerous government fees should have fair options.

This research primer sheds light on the meaning of current trends in consumer debt.

The closing event of our Finance Forward series on income volatility provided an opportunity to both reflect on the work that has moved forward in other cities, and use these experiences to fuel a conversation focused on solutions unique to Oakland.

In May 2016, we launched the Expanding Prosperity Impact Collaborative (EPIC). The initiative grew out of a recognition that the financial challenges facing Americans today are evolving in an increasingly complex, unpredictable economy and labor market. More than ever, there is need to shine a light on these challenges and the ways in which they undermine household financial security. The ultimate goal of each EPIC round is to build leadership committed to identify and implement solutions that will improve the financial lives of millions of people.

Unpredictability. Fluctuating hours. On-call work. Lack of input into schedules. Early dismissal without pay. One of the threads that ties together these and other scheduling challenges commonly experienced by low-wage workers is the fact that millions in the U.S. feel profoundly disempowered in the workplace.

This brief synthesizes the current research on scheduling instability, chronicles the most promising responses by the institutions best positioned to act – employers, government, and technology companies – and recommends principles for further reform.

What can we do to reduce income volatility for contingent workers and workers with changing schedules?

This brief presents a framework for thinking through possible public- and private-sector solutions to the challenge of income volatility.